Max Verstappen took a dominant victory, beating Oscar Piastri by twelve and a half seconds to win the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, but Lando Norris’s third place was enough for the Englishman to secure his maiden championship. The outgoing world champion did everything he could to retain his title, but it wasn’t enough to stop Norris from taking the crown.
Verstappen won the start and fended off the McLaren in a reminder of why he has dominated the sport in recent years. He was clearly not going down without a fight, as he won the start from where he was able to control the race. But it was then about what happened behind as the chess game began, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc trying to put pressure on Norris in the closing stages.
Norris’ one nervy moment in the race came at the start of his second stint when, having pitted earlier than most other cars on lap sixteen, he had to overtake longer-running cars on older tyres. Red Bull, with the Japanese driver, handed a five-second penalty for forcing Norris off track as the Briton made his move down the back straight.
The Englishman was always under pressure then until the closing stages from Leclerc, before the McLaren was able to find a bit more pace in the final twelve laps and started to pull away from Leclerc. But he was then unable to chase down his teammate Piastri to seal the title.
McLaren was always in control of the race to win there first championship double in twenty-six years, and Norris became the eleventh British champion in a season where he built slowly over the course of the year.
But it hasn’t been an easy three weeks for Norris, disqualification in Las Vegas, followed by a botched strategy that handed Verstappen victory in Qatar, had upped the stakes for McLaren. But he delivered when it mattered to take the championship.
This championship looked over in August following Norris dropping thirty-four points behind after a retirement in Zandvoort. But a combination of mistakes by his teammate Piastri and a string of solid results in the final six weekends, including two dominant wins in Mexico City and São Paulo, put him top for the final three rounds.
McLaren has been the clear favourite, and in just eighteen months, Norris has gone from his first win in Miami last year to his maiden world championship. He fought Verstappen hard last year when he claimed ‘he didn’t deserve the title, after too many mistakes.’
And although seeing his reign as world champion end after 1,457 days, Verstappen told Red Bull on team radio: “Congrats, guys. The way we fought back in the second half of the season, we can be really, really proud of that. So, don’t be too disappointed. I’m definitely not disappointed. I’m really proud of everyone for not giving up.”
Norris said, “It’s incredible. It is pretty surreal, you know? I’ve dreamed of this for a long, long time. Everyone does. A lot goes into a season like this, a lot of ups, a lot of downs. But, none of that matters as long as you try and come out on top, that’s what we have managed to do.”
The Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, wrote on X, “Congratulations @LandoNorris, Britain’s new @F1 champion! An unbelievable season and so well deserved.”
Piastri added, “When things have been good this year, I’ve felt unstoppable at points and to even be able to get to that point is a pretty cool feeling. There has been plenty of times when that has not been the case and I think I’ve learnt a lot of lessons on how to deal with tough moments and adversity from different directions.
He certainly ironed them out over the winter and as the business end of the season played out, the experience helped, it was his teammate Piastri, who had led most of the first three quarters who cracked under the pressure.
Red Bull played the game with Yuki Tsunoda, who was told “do what you can,” to hold Norris up but went too far as he forced Norris off as he was trying to pass. But the stewards ruled the overtake was within the rules, but Tsunoda was in trouble as in his defence, he was deemed to have been moving twice and was given a five-second time penalty.
Then, once the Tsunoda threat was dealt with, Norris had pressure from Leclerc. The Ferrari had mirrored his strategy but was no match for Norris on pace, and once past the McLaren, pulled safely ahead and finished over six and a half seconds ahead.
Leclerc finished the race twenty-five seconds ahead of George Russell, with Fernando Alonso nineteen seconds further behind. Lewis Hamilton, the last British champion, drove sixteenth to finish the race eighth in what has been a difficult season for the seven-time champion.
Nico Hulkenberg was another to make up ground to ensure Sauber scored in their final race as he finished a second and a half ahead of Lance Stroll. Stroll was given a time penalty for erratic driving, as he split the Sauber’s as he finished a second and a half ahead of Gabriel Bortoleto.
Ollie Bearman dropped behind the Brazilian after he was another driver to be penalised for erratic driving. The Englishman was nearly a second ahead of Carlos Sainz.
Tsunoda served his time penalty during the race, so stayed fourteenth. The Red Bull driver played a key role in Verstappen’s bid for a fifth championship. Red Bull were always going to use the Japanese driver strategically to hold Norris up he put in a good effort but eventually went too far; the weaving and forcing Norris off resulted in a five-second time penalty.
Kimi Antonelli was fifteenth. He finished nearly six tenths behind Tsunoda and ahead of Alex Albon by nearly six seconds, the Williams driver was another to fall foul of the stewards. The British-Thai driver was awarded a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane.
Isack Hadjar was three seconds ahead of Racing Bulls teammate Liam Lawson, and Pierre Gasly was nineteen despite a five-second penalty for track limits. Gasly, however was seven seconds ahead of Alpine teammate Franco Colapinto.
Related
- Abu Dhabi GP – Qualifying Result
- ABU DHABI GP – Max Verstappen beats championship rivals to pole by two tenths with sublime laps
- ABU DHABI GP – George Russell tops third practice, edging out Lando Norris by four thousandths
- ABU DHABI GP – Lando Norris continues to set the pace in second practice, three and a half tenths ahead title rival Max Verstappen
- ABU DHABI GP – Lando Norris fastest eight hundredths faster than Max Verstappen in first practice
- Welcome to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – 04/12/2025
- PRIXVIEW – Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
